Solid cosmetic composition and uses thereof

ABSTRACT

A solid composition free of fillers, comprising an aqueous phase, wherein said aqueous phase comprises a hydrocolloid combination of gellane gum and at least one other hydrocolloid, wherein said gellane gum is present in an amount of at least 2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, and wherein said hydrocolloid combination is present in an amount of less than 20% of the total weight of the composition, formable as tubes, pencils or bars, and useful to care for and/or treat the skin, the scalp, the hair or mucous membranes, to make up the skin and/or keratin fibers such as the eyelashes and the hair, and to style and/or shape keratin fibers, and in particular the hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a solid composition for topicalapplication, as well as to its use in the cosmetic and/or dermatologicalfields, in particular to care for and/or treat the skin, the scalp, thehair or mucous membranes, to make up the skin and/or keratin fibres suchas the eyelashes and the hair, and to style and/or shape keratin fibres,and in particular the hair.

2. Description of the Background

Products in solid form are known in the cosmetics industry. As productsof this type, mention may be made, for example, in the field of make-up,of tubes or “sticks” of lipstick, of foundation or of eyeshadow; in thefield of skin care or lip care, of lip repair pencils and ofdepigmenting, make-up-removing or moisturizing tubes or “sticks”; in thefield of hygiene, of deodorant sticks and of moussing sticks or bars toshave or wash the skin.

Wax-based stick formulations have certain drawbacks: they have a greasynature which is not appreciated by users, and they lack freshness whenapplied. In addition, it is difficult to introduce hydrophilic activeagents therein.

Moreover, non-greasy sticks such as deodorant sticks generally contain arelatively large amount of fatty acid salts which can have an irritantnature for applications such as facial care. Moreover, these sticksleave a sticky film when applied to the skin.

In addition, aqueous rigid gels are described in WO-A-97/17055 andWO-A-97/17053. However, these gels require the use of a fairly largeconcentration of gelling agent or use a specific preparationtechnique—extrusion. In addition, the sticks described in WO-A-97/17055lack transparency and, on account of the high concentration of gellingagent, lack freshness and softness when applied to the skin, and thosedescribed in WO-A-97/17053 must be moistened at the time of use.

Moreover, EP-A-803,245 describes aqueous solid compositions containingheat-reversible polysaccharides, a wetting agent and a powdery phase(fillers). However, the presence of a powdery phase can entail thefollowing drawbacks: presence of a visible trace after applying thecomposition to the skin and reduced feeling of comfort. In addition,when the powdery phase is removed from the composition described inEP-A-803,245, a composition which is neither sufficiently solid norsufficiently stable and which does not transfer onto the skin in asatisfactory manner is obtained.

Thus, there is still a need for a solid composition for topicalapplication which does not have the drawbacks of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventors have discovered, unexpectedly, a specific hydrophilicgelling system which makes it possible to prepare homogeneous, rigidaqueous compositions which are stable even at low gelling agent contentsand even in the absence of fillers, and which do not necessarily requirethe use of a specific preparation technique. The compositions obtainedcan contain a large amount of water and thus have a sensation offreshness when applied while at the same time giving an impression ofsoftness. In addition, they allow product to be applied directly to theskin without the need for prior moistening.

The object of the present invention is a solid composition free offillers, comprising an aqueous phase, wherein said aqueous phasecomprises a hydrocolloid combination of gellan gum and at least oneother hydrocolloid, wherein said gellan gum is present in an amount ofat least 2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition,and wherein said hydrocolloid combination is present in an amount ofless than 20% of the total weight of the composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term “free of fillers” means that the composition contains noinsoluble dyes or pigments or powders. The composition of the inventionis, in particular, free of powders such as talc, starch, acrylatepolymer and copolymer, mica, kaolin, polyamide (nylon), polyethylenesilica and silicone powders.

Moreover, the term “hydrocolloid” means a water-soluble macromoleculewhich does not modify the water activity value of the compositioncontaining it.

In addition, the term solid composition means any composition with acompression strength of greater than or equal to 20 grams, at roomtemperature (20-25° C.), after penetration by an axisymmetrical probewith a diameter of 0.8 cm into the matrix of the composition to a depthof 1 mm at a speed of 0.5 mm/s and removal of the said probe from thematrix of the composition at a speed of 0.5 mm/s; the compressionstrength is measured with an analyzer such as the “LFRA textureanalyzer” sold by the company Stevens/Mechtric.

The solid composition obtained can be applied directly to a support,i.e. it does not need to be moistened in order to be applied to thesupport, and in particular to the skin. The term “support” for thecomposition according to the invention means any surface on which atopical application may be made, in particular the skin, keratin fibressuch as the eyelashes and the hair, the scalp and mucous membranes suchas the lips.

In addition, unlike solid compositions containing a high proportion ofgelling agents, the composition of the invention has the advantage ofnot leaving a visible powdery deposit when it is applied to a support.Moreover, it has the property of being transparent or translucent in theabsence of oil.

It is known practice in the food sector to use gellane gum, includingits use as a mixture with another gum, in order to obtain gelledproducts. However, the products obtained are gelled but not solid withinthe sense intended in the present application, i.e., they do not have acompression strength of greater than or equal to 20 grams: they arebrittle, so that they can be consumed in portions, and they consequentlydo not allow a homogeneous film to be deposited on the skin. This istherefore an entirely different type of product.

Moreover, the gellane gum used as sole gelling agent at 2% gives acomposition which is, admittedly, solid, but is crumbly and brittle, andis thus unsuitable for cosmetic or dermatological application. Inaddition, by increasing the amount of gellan gum, an opaque compositionis obtained which applies poorly to a support such as the skin. Only thecombination claimed makes it possible to obtain a solid composition withgood properties of both solidity and transfer.

Thus, the solid composition according to the invention has a goodtransfer property, i.e., when applied to a support, it releases aneffective amount of product onto this support.

In the composition according to the invention, the gellan gum is presentin an amount of at least 2% of the total weight of the composition, forexample in an amount ranging from 2 to 15%, preferably from 2 to 8% andbetter still from 2 to 4%, of the total weight of the composition.

The hydrocolloid(s) used in combination with the gellan gum can bechosen, for example, from the group formed by:

cellulose or its derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose,hydroxypropylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose orhydroxyethylcellulose, as well as celluloses modified in particular bygrafting an alkyl group;

algal extracts such as agar-agar, carrageenans and alginates;

seed extracts such as carob gum, guar gum and guar gums modified inparticular by grafting an alkyl group;

plant exudates such as gum arabic, karaya gum, gum tragacanth and ghattigum;

microorganism exudates such as xanthan gum;

fruit extracts such as pectins;

gelling agents of animal origin such as gelatin and caseinates;

water-soluble gelling synthetic polymers such as polyacrylic acids,optionally crosslinked with an alkyl chain, such as the “Carbopol” or“Pemulen” products from the company Goodrich;

silicon derivatives such as synthetic hectorites, for instance theproducts “Laponite RD and RDS” sold by the company Waverly, andaluminium magnesium silicates such as the product “Veegum” sold by thecompany Vanderbilt, or a mixture of these compounds.

The hydrocolloid used in the composition according to the invention incombination with the gellan gum is preferably chosen from carob gum,xanthan gum, cellulose derivatives and a modified guar gum, and mixturesof these compounds. It is more particularly xanthan gum,carboxymethylcellulose or a modified guar gum. This modified guar gummay in particular be hydroxypropylguar.

The hydrocolloid(s) combined with the gellane gum is (are) present inthe composition according to the invention in an amount which can varywithin a wide range. Thus, this amount can range, for example, from 1 to10%, preferably from I to 5% and, better still, from 2 to 4%, of thetotal weight of the composition.

Depending on the proportions, and in particular when the total amount ofhydrocolloids exceeds 4%, the mixture can advantageously be prepared ina twin-screw extruder according to the technique described inEP-A-667,148.

The aqueous phase of the composition according to the inventionrepresents from 60 to 97%, and preferably from 80 to 95%, of the totalweight of the composition.

Advantageously, the solid composition according to the invention is acomposition intended for topical application, in particular cosmetic ordermatological application. Such a composition comprises a medium whichis physiologically acceptable, in particular for the skin, mucousmembranes, the nails, keratin fibres and/or the hair.

According to a particular mode of the invention, the composition alsocomprises at least one oil, this addition of oil giving a greaterfeeling of comfort when the composition is applied to the skin.

Among the oils which can be used, mention may be made of mineral oils,oils of plant origin, oils of animal origin, synthetic oils such asfatty esters, silicone oils such as volatile silicone oils,polymethylsiloxanes, polymethylphenylsiloxanes, polysiloxanes modifiedwith fatty acids, fatty alcohols or polyoxyalkylenes, fluorosiliconesand perfluoro oils. Other fatty substances can be added, such as fattyacids, fatty alcohols and waxes.

The oil(s) and the other fatty substances which may be presentconstitute the fatty phase.

The fatty phase can be present in proportions ranging, for example, upto 30%, preferably from 0.1 to 20% and, better still, from 0.5 to 10%,of the total weight of the composition, these proportions varyingdepending on the chosen application.

The oil can be introduced into the aqueous phase in the presence of oneor more surfactants to ensure better dispersion.

The compositions according to the invention can thus also contain one ormore nonionic, anionic, cationic or amphoteric surfactants usually usedin the cosmetics and/or dermatological fields. When it is present, theamount of surfactant preferably ranges from 0.05 to 8%, and, betterstill, from 0.05 to 5%, of the total weight of the composition.

It is possible to modify the rigidity of the compositions according tothe invention by adding thereto one or more salts which will increasethis rigidity. These salts can be chosen from the salts of monovalent,divalent or trivalent metals, and more particularly alkali metal andalkaline-earth metal salts and in particular sodium and calcium salts.The ions constituting these salts can be chosen, for example, fromcarbonates, bicarbonates, sulphates, glycerophosphates, borates,chlorides, nitrates, acetates, hydroxides and persulphates, as well asthe salts of α-hydroxy acids (citrates, tartrates, lactates, malates) orof fruit acids, or alternatively amino acid salts (aspartate, arginate,glycolate, fumarate). The amount of salt can range from 0.01 to 2%, andpreferably from 0.1 to 1%, of the total weight of the composition.

Preferably, the salt is chosen from calcium, magnesium or strontiumnitrate, calcium or magnesium borate, calcium, sodium, magnesium,strontium, neodymium or manganese chloride, magnesium or calciumsulphate and calcium or magnesium acetate, and mixtures thereof.

The compositions according to the invention can contain additivesusually used in the cosmetics and/or dermatological fields. Mention maybe made in particular of antioxidants or anti-free-radical agents,water-soluble dyes such as FD&C Red No. 4 and D&C Green No. 5, oralternatively liposoluble dyes if the composition contains a fattyphase, solvents, hydrophilic or lipophilic active agents, andfragrances.

The active agents can be chosen, for example, from moisturizers orwetting agents such as polyols and in particular glycerol, UV screeningagents, antidandruff agents, conditioners, deodorant active agents,depigmenting or bleaching agents, tensioning agents, anti-wrinkleagents, latices and pseudo-latices, and any other active agent which isappropriate for the end use of the solid product considered.

As solvents, mention may be made of primary alcohols such as ethanol andisopropanol, glycols such as propylene glycol, butylene glycol,dipropylene glycol and diethylene glycol, and glycol ethers such as theCl-C₄ alkyl ethers of mono-, di- or tripropylene glycol or of mono-, di-or triethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof.

As latices and pseudo latices, mention may be made, for example, ofdispersions of synthetic polymers of polycondensate type or of radicaltype. As polymers constituting the latex or the pseudolatex, mention maybe made of anionic, cationic, nonionic or amphoteric polyurethanes,acrylic polyurethanes, polyurethane-polyvinylpyrrolidones,polyester-polyurethanes, polyether-polyurethanes, polyureas, acrylicpolymers, acrylic copolymers, sulphonated isophthalic acid polymers, aswell as polymers resulting from the radical polymerization of one ormore radical monomers. As synthetic polymer which is appropriate for useas a latex, mention may be made in particular of the dispersions ofpolyester-polyurethane and of polyether-polyurethane, sold under thenames “Sancure 2060” (polyester-polyurethane), “Sancure 2255”(polyester-polyurethane), “Sancure 815” (polyester-polyurethane),“Sancure 878” (polyether-polyurethane) and “Sancure 861”(polyether-polyurethane) by the company Sanncor, under the names “NeorezR974” (polyester-polyurethane), “Neorez R981 ” (polyester-polyurethane)and “Neorez R970” (polyether-polyurethane) by the company ICI, and theacrylic copolymer dispersion sold under the name “Neocryl XK-90” by thecompany Zeneca.

These additives can be present in the final composition in an amount offrom 0 to 50%, preferably from 0.5 to 20%, and even more particularlybetween 0.5 and 10%, of the total weight of the composition.

Needless to say, a person skilled in the art will take care to selectthis or these optional additives and/or the amounts thereof such thatthe advantageous properties intrinsically associated with thecomposition in accordance with the invention are not, or are notsubstantially, adversely affected by the addition(s) envisaged.

The compositions according to the invention can constitute care and/orconditioning and/or hygiene products for the skin, mucous membranes, thescalp and/or the hair. Among the care, conditioning or hygiene productsin the form of a bar, a stick or a pencil, mention may be made, forexample, in hair care, of solid gels for styling and/or shaping thehair; in skin care, of moisturizing products, slimming products,depigmenting and bleaching products and of products for lip care; forfacial and/or body hygiene, of shaving products and deodorants.

Another object of the invention consists of a cosmetic treatment processfor the care and/or conditioning and/or hygiene of the skin, the hair,the scalp and/or mucous membranes, this process comprises applying asolid composition as defined above to the skin, the hair, the scalpand/or mucous membranes.

The compositions according to the invention can also constitute make-upproducts, such as lipsticks, foundations, eyeshadows, blushers,concealers, mascaras, lip pencils, eye pencils and sticks for colouringlocks of hair. They can in particular constitute “transfer-resistant”make-up products, i.e., products which deposit a film which does nottransfer or migrate or stain the support with which the make-up productapplied to the skin may be placed in contact (clothing, glass, cup,etc.).

Thus, the object of the present invention is the use of the compositionaccording to the invention to obtain a transfer-resistant make-upproduct. When the make-up product also contains a latex, a product withgood staying power is obtained.

The object of the present invention is also a process for making up theskin and/or keratin fibres, which comprises applying a solid compositionas defined above to the face, the lips, the area around the eyes, thecheeks, the contour of the lips, the eyelashes, the eyebrows, the hairand/or the eyelids.

The examples which follow serve to illustrate the invention without,however, limiting its scope. The percentages are expressed on a weightbasis except where otherwise mentioned.

Example 1: Moisturizing stick Gellan gum 2% Xanthan gum 1% Water qs 100%

The stick is prepared by mixing the constituents at 80° C. with stirringand casting while hot.

The stick obtained is transparent and deposits a fresh film when appliedto the skin.

Example 2: Lipstick Gellan gum 2% Xanthan gum 1% FD&C Red No. 4 0.3%Water qs 100%

This lipstick is prepared according to the same procedure as in Example1.

Example 3: Moisturizing stick Gellan gum 2.75% Hydroxypropylguar (HP60sold by the company 2.75% Rh{circumflex over (o)}ne-Poulenc) Glycerol 5%Water qs 100%

This stick is prepared according to the process described inEP-A-667,146, in a twin-screw extruder-cooker (such as “BC 21” from thecompany Clextral), whose structure is as follows:

Inlet → → Outlet Screw structure DF DF BL DF BL BL CF DF DF DF DF Lengthof 100 50 50 50 50 50 50 25 50 100 25 the jaws (mm) Length of  33 2516.6 16.6 −16.6 16.6 16.6 16.6 the screw pitch (mm)

“DF” corresponds to a helical screw threading, in which the pitchconveys the treated material from the mixer inlet to the outlet; “CF”corresponds to a helical screw threading of opposite pitch to that ofthe previous one (denoted with a negative pitch length value) whichpushes the treated material in the direction from the mixer outlet tothe inlet, such threading including longitudinal grooves to ensurepassage of the material to the mixer outlet; “BL” corresponds to atwo-lobed section which includes, along its entire length, a successionof lobes offset by 90° relative to each other.

Conditions of the extrusion:

Extruder temperature: 100° C.

Speed: 500 rpm

Flow rate: 3 kg/h

Example 4: Foundation Gellan gum 3% Carboxymethylcellulose 1% FD&C RedNo. 4 0.2% D&C Green No. 5 0.1% Plant oil 5% Water qs 100%

This foundation is prepared according to the process of Example 1.

The disclosure of french patent application 9716173, filed Dec. 19,1997, is hereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A solid composition free of fillers, comprisingan aqueous phase, wherein said aqueous phase comprises a hydrocolloidcombination of gellan gum and at least one other hydrocolloid, whereinsaid gellan gum is present in an amount of at least 2% by weight,relative to the total weight of the composition, and wherein saidhydrocolloid combination is present in an amount of less than 20% byweight of the composition, said composition having a compressivestrength>20 grams at room temperature.
 2. Composition according to claim1, wherein said at least one other hydrocolloid is selected from thegroup consisting of cellulose and its derivatives; algal extracts; seedextracts; plant exudates; microorganism exudates; fruit extracts;gelling agents of animal origin; water-soluble gelling syntheticpolymers; silicon derivatives; and mixtures thereof.
 3. Compositionaccording to claim 1, wherein said at least one other hydrocolloid isselected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, cellulosederivatives, carob gum and a modified guar gum, and mixtures thereof. 4.Composition according to claim 1, wherein the gellan gum is present inan amount ranging from 2 to 15%, of the total weight of the composition.5. Composition according to claim 4, wherein the gellan gum is presentin an amount ranging from 2 to 8%, of the total weight of thecomposition.
 6. Composition according to claim 1, wherein said at leastone other hydrocolloid is present in an amount ranging from 1 to 10%, ofthe total weight of the composition.
 7. Composition according to claim6, wherein said at least one other hydrocolloid is present in an amountranging from 1 to 5%, of the total weight of the composition. 8.Composition according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous phase is presentin an amount of from 60 to 97% of the total weight of the composition.9. Composition according to claim 1, which additionally comprises atleast one fatty phase.
 10. Composition according to claim 9, wherein thefatty phase is present in an amount ranging up to 30%, of the totalweight of the composition.
 11. Composition according to claim 10,wherein the fatty phase is present in an amount of from 0.1 to 20%, ofthe total weight of the composition.
 12. Composition according to claim1, which additionally comprises at least one surfactant.
 13. Compositionaccording to claim 1, which additionally comprises at least one salt.14. Composition according to claim 1, which additionally comprises atleast one cosmetic or dermatological ingredient.
 15. Compositionaccording to claim 1, which additionally comprises at least one additiveselected from the group consisting of antioxidants, anti-free-radicalagents, water-soluble or liposoluble dyes, solvents, lipophilic orhydrophilic active agents and fragrances.
 16. Composition according toclaim 1, which additionally comprises at least one active agent selectedfrom the group consisting of moisturizers, UV screening agents,antidandruff agents, conditioners, deodorants, depigmenting agents,bleaching agents, tensioning agents, anti-wrinkle agents, latices andpseudolatices.
 17. Composition according to claim 1, in the shape of astick, pencil or bar.
 18. Make-up product comprising the compositionaccording to claim
 1. 19. Process for making up the skin and/or keratinfibres, which comprises applying the solid composition according toclaim 14 to the face, lips, area around the eyes, cheeks, contour of thelips, eyelashes, eyebrows, hair and/or eyelids.
 20. Process for cosmeticcare and/or conditioning and/or hygiene of the skin, hair, scalp and/ormucous membranes, which comprises applying a solid composition accordingto claim 14 to the skin, the hair, the scalp and/or mucous membranes.